Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the present invention relates to an apparatus for neutralizing anti-theft devices (e.g., Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) devices) and, more particularly, to an apparatus for neutralizing anti-theft devices that is mobile while secure from unauthorized use.
Description of Related Art
Conventional anti-theft detachers and anti-theft deactivators are well known and have been in use for a number of years. Anti-theft detachers are generally used to neutralize anti-theft tags (e.g., EAS tags) to facilitate detachment and removal of the tag from an article to which the tag is coupled without triggering an alarm. The anti-theft deactivators are generally used to neutralize anti-theft labels (or EAS labels), making the labels deactivated so that articles may be removed from a retail store without triggering an EAS system alarm.
Most conventional detachers and deactivators are on purpose made stationary so that they are not removed, stolen, or lost. In general, they are permanently fixed and mounted and installed onto a surface of a stationary Point of Sale (POS) structure such as a cash wrap or a checkout counter. Access to lost or stolen detacher and or deactivator by an unauthorized individual will allow unauthorized neutralizing of anti-theft devices, facilitating their unauthorized detachment from articles or their unauthorized deactivation.
Most of today's retail environments use well-known conventional mobile POS devices to conduct a transaction, which may be far away from any POS structure to which most conventional detachers and or deactivators are coupled. For example, a sales associate at a large departments store may carry a mobile POS device and conduct an on-the-spot transaction at a location within a department store that may be far away from the POS structure that has the attached detacher or deactivator. Accordingly, the mobile POS devices provide the convenience of not having to walk to a permanent, stationary POS area to conduct an actual transaction but unfortunately, once a transaction is completed (using mobile or stationary POS devices), in today's environment, the consumer and the sales associate must still walk up to a permanently located detacher and or deactivator (a stationary surface mounted detacher and or deactivator) to neutralize and remove the attached anti-theft tag or deactivate the anti-theft label, which negates the convenience and purpose of using mobile POS systems.
Accordingly, in light of the current state of the art and the drawbacks to current detachers and deactivators mentioned above, a need exists for a mobile apparatus for neutralizing anti-theft tags and or labels on the spot and at a mobile POS location while secure from unauthorized use.